Mar 28 Five reasons why time alone can be good for you

Many adults find it hard to spend time on their own. It's not surprising; we can lead such busy lives where we are in constant contact, then return home to quiet, fewer distractions and too many thoughts. To help you realise and remember why it can be good to take time out, David Brudö, CEO and co-founder of personal development and wellbeing app Remente, shares his advice on the positives of a night in for one.

1. Solo memory is better

Researchers at Harvard University found that anything that we do on our own, be it watching a film, studying or even attending a museum, is more likely to stay in our minds than if we did the same thing with others.

2. Being alone is better for your relationships

As counter-intuitive as this may sound, spending some time on your own might actually improve your relationships with others. Think of being alone as a form of therapy – solitude will give you time to focus on your interests and wellbeing, outside of anyone else. Afterwards, when you reunite with loved ones, you are more likely to enjoy the time that you spend together, complimenting each other, as opposed to being dependent on one another.

3. Solitude relieves anxiety

A big part of anxiety is being overwhelmed by too many thoughts, and if these thoughts are negative, the anxiety can become very detrimental. Being around people all of the time can cause this anxiety to build, as you aren’t taking a break to filter through all of the thoughts going through your mind. Taking time out can help you get your thoughts in order and deal with any negativity quickly and efficiently.

4. Spending time alone makes you creative

Being on your own can significantly boost your creativity for two reasons. First, you are not distracted from the task at hand, whether it is trying to solve a problem, creating a presentation or doing something artistic. Secondly, humans are designed to mirror others (we even have neurons in our brain responsible for this), but when we are on our own, our thinking and judgement isn’t affected by others, allowing creativity to flow.

5. You can focus on your own happiness

A lot of the time that we spend with other people is spent on trying to make them happy – doing activities that they like doing, talking about things that make them happy or simply allowing them to vent to you.

When you spend time on your own, you let some of this pressure go, leaving you to take care of your own emotions and happiness and to do things that bring you pleasure.

Do any of these ideas resonate with your experiences?What do you like to do when you have time to yourself?Let us know on Twitter or in the comments!